The Sea Star Bakery: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  Kyle sensed her discomfort. “So, what’s new with you? How did that meeting with the Small Business Administration go? I haven’t talked with you since then.”

  She hunched her shoulders and stared off toward the kids. “It wasn’t great. Basically, they said they’d help me figure out how to start a business, but when it got down to it, I chickened out. I can’t risk the house on a lark like this.”

  Kyle sighed. “It’s not a lark. You’re an amazing baker.”

  “Thanks. But, unfortunately, that’s not enough. I’m just going to have to keep looking for a cheap space to rent where I can make my cakes.” She dabbed the corner of her napkin at a drop of marinara sauce that had landed on the vinyl, red-and-white checkered tablecloth. Should she tell him about Edgar’s Bakery? Part of her wanted to share Celia’s news, but another part knew he’d try to talk her into leasing the space, and she didn’t want to deal with that.

  “What about Edgar’s Bakery?” he asked. “I heard Edgar is looking for someone to take over the bakery space. That would be perfect for you.”

  She stared at him. Did everyone in town know about Edgar and his wife moving to Arizona? “How did you know about that?”

  He chuckled. “Willa Bay’s a small town. Edgar’s a client of mine, and he asked if I knew anyone who might be interested in the building.”

  It was like everyone was conspiring against her and her conservative financial sensibilities. “I can’t afford it.” She was starting to sound like a broken record. She bit into the pizza to test the temperature. If she had something in her mouth, she couldn’t be forced into this discussion. The hot marinara sauce blistered her tongue, and she dropped the pizza on her plate.

  Kyle rested his arms on the table and leaned toward her. “If it’s only about the money, I’m happy to help you as much as I can. I’m up for a promotion at work.” The earnest expression on his face tugged at Cassie’s heartstrings. Get it together, Cass. You don’t want to borrow money from Kyle. She’d worked too hard since the divorce to make a life of her own and didn’t want to go back to being dependent on him again.

  She eked out a smile. “Thanks for being so supportive about this. If this opportunity had come up in a few years, I’d be all over it, but now isn’t the right time.”

  “Right time for what?” Amanda asked from behind her. Jace pushed past his sister and slid across the booth, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza in one fell swoop. Amanda peered at her mother.

  “It’s not the right time to start a business now.” Cassie gave Kyle a look that implored him not to argue with her.

  “Oh, that again,” Amanda said. “I thought you already had a cake decorating business anyway.” Kyle scooted over on the bench seat, and Amanda sat down next to him, daintily setting a piece of pizza on her plate.

  Cassie smiled at Amanda. “I do. And that’s all I need for right now. I’m busy enough with just that and my regular job.”

  “Thank goodness.” Amanda took a small bite, then swallowed before saying, “We just saw my friend Kaci in the arcade. She’s here with her mom and her mom’s boyfriend.” She made a face. “I hope you don’t have any time to date. That would be, like, so weird!”

  Cassie nearly sputtered out the water she’d just sipped, and her cheeks flamed. “I don’t have plans to date anytime soon.”

  Her eyes darted to Kyle, who was watching her intently. Neither of them had really dated since the divorce, at least not that she knew of, so they’d managed to avoid having the “introducing the kids to a significant other” conversation. Now, she found herself wondering if Kyle had started dating – not that it mattered to her. Her stomach ached as though she’d been stabbed in the gut.

  She turned to Amanda and said in a steely voice, “I’m enjoying my independence right now and discovering what I want out of life. I don’t intend to get involved with anyone for a long time – not that you or your brother have a say in whether or not I date.”

  Amanda shrank back against the booth, and Cassie cringed. Next to Cassie, Jace was happily chowing down on pizza and had seemingly missed the whole exchange. Kyle opened his mouth as if to say something, then snapped it shut.

  Cassie sighed. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s been a long day.”

  “That’s okay, Mom.” Amanda smiled at her and gestured to the pizza. “Have some food. I think you’re getting hangry.”

  Normally, Cassie would have reprimanded her for the pre-teen snark, but this time, Amanda had a point. Cassie picked up her pizza. “You know, I think you may be right.”

  She took a huge bite filled with gooey cheese, and they all followed Jace’s lead in demolishing the pies. Cassie did her best to stay cheery the rest of the afternoon, but inwardly she struggled with the conflicting emotions she experienced around Kyle and the joy that consumed her in the brief moments where she allowed herself to imagine her own bakery.

  What she’d said to Amanda had been true – she’d never expected to be a divorced mom of two at the age of thirty-two, and she was still trying to discover what she wanted to do when she grew up. She’d had so many dreams for her future with Kyle, but the divorce had brought many changes to her life, some good and some bad. One thing was for sure though: leasing Edgar’s bakery space was not in the cards for her.

  2

  Zoe

  Zoe collapsed into a chair on the porch of the Inn at Willa Bay, clutching her project checklist like a lifeline. In truth, it was a lifeline. There was so much to do to get the Inn ready for guests that without her notebook, she’d be lost. June was already nearly half-over, and the days were passing faster than she’d like.

  “You okay?” Shawn asked from behind her.

  She turned to see him holding out a glass of iced tea. “More or less.” She accepted the glass from him, drinking half of it in one long gulp.

  “More? Or less?” He sat down next to her in a cushioned chair and searched her face. “You’ve got to slow down, or you’re going to burn out.”

  She set the tea down on a side table. “I can’t. We have to keep to the schedule if we want to be ready by the end of August.”

  He sighed deeply. “It will all work out.”

  She wished she had his confidence. He may think her to-do list was causing her stress, but it was the only thing keeping her sane. She knew if they stuck to it, they could get everything done in time.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” he asked, glancing up at the sky. “Looks like a good day to get some outdoor stuff done.”

  “I hope so. The roofers are coming today.” A minor pang of irritation shot through her. She’d already reminded him about the appointment about a million times. He’d vetted and hired the roofing company, but she’d scheduled them. Fixing the holes in the Inn’s roof was one of the first things that she, Shawn, and their co-owner, Meg, had wanted to accomplish when they’d bought the property at the end of April, but every company in town had been booked until now. Shawn had installed a few temporary patches so they could do some basic repairs on the upstairs guest rooms, but they wouldn’t hold much longer.

  “That’s today?” He shrugged. “I guess I’ll be managing that then.”

  She forced a smile. “Uh-huh. I’d kind of hoped you would. I don’t know much about roofing.” She consulted her list. “While they’re working on the upstairs, I’m going to finalize our plans for the kitchen remodel.”

  Although they’d put most areas of the property that guests wouldn’t see on the back burner for now, they weren’t sure the kitchen would pass county health regulations in its current state. They weren’t planning on serving meals out of the Inn’s kitchen – that would come later when they renovated the barn into a full-service restaurant. However, they did need a place to make coffee and prepare store-bought pastries in the morning, and they wanted to have the option to expand their offerings in the future. Meg had been off work from her job as sous-chef at the Willa Bay Lodge on Monday and Tuesday, so she’d come over to help select the materials
and plan the layout. Her experience with kitchens and insights into the most efficient layouts had proven invaluable.

  While Zoe had quit her job at the Lodge almost immediately upon buying the Inn, Meg had chosen to keep her job until they were able to focus on the restaurant phase of their renovations, so most of the organization and management of the multitude of projects at the Inn had fallen on Zoe. Shawn helped as much as possible, but his time was taken up with the day-to-day maintenance and supervising their contract workers. Meg helped when she could, but Zoe wished she had someone to help with the bigger projects.

  Zoe took a deep breath of fresh air and let the sparkling waters of Willa Bay calm her. Everything was going to be fine. The roofers were coming today, and everything was proceeding on schedule. She pushed herself up out of the chair, laced her fingers together, and stretched them out in front of her for a moment, releasing some of the tension in her shoulders.

  Shawn stood as well. He reached forward and grabbed her around the waist, drawing her to him. She resisted at first because there was so much to do, but then let herself lean against him and rest her cheek on his chest.

  “It’ll all be okay,” he whispered into her hair, his hands pressing into her back reassuringly.

  Zoe nodded imperceptibly, trying to soak up some of his optimism. Having a partner to shoulder some of the responsibility was taking some getting used to, but she was grateful to have him in her life.

  She would have happily stayed in his embrace for hours, but there was so much to do. Reluctantly, she stepped back, gazing into his dark blue eyes. “Thank you – for the tea and for everything else.”

  He tipped his head to her. “You’re very welcome.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to check on a few things before the roofers arrive.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you a little later. Try not to stress too much.”

  She nodded. “I’ll try.”

  Shawn strode off out of sight, and Zoe surveyed the grounds. Things were definitely shaping up around here. Her gaze paused on the old gazebo. As much as she wanted to save the old structure, Shawn had informed her it would need to be completely rebuilt. Years of neglect had resulted in rotting beams and sagging floors. Still, it retained some of its original charm and Zoe couldn’t wait until they could return it to its original condition from when the Inn first opened in the early 1900s.

  Once upon a time, the Inn at Willa Bay had been the premier resort in town, with the large guest house anchoring the property and twenty cottages stretching along the shoreline. Tourists used to flock to the area from Seattle and surrounding communities until air travel had become commonplace. Since the downfall of the resort industry, Willa Bay had reinvented itself as the wedding capital of the Northwest, but the Inn had never quite regained its original popularity. When Celia’s husband died, she hadn’t been able to keep up with maintenance, and the whole place had fallen into disrepair. Zoe had been renting one of the little cottages on the property for a decade. Now she was excited to have the opportunity to share the Inn’s beauty with all of their future guests.

  Zoe took a final look out at the bay, then walked inside to work on the kitchen. When she entered, Celia waved at her from the living room. “Good morning, Zoe,” she called out.

  Zoe smiled and walked into the living room. “Hey, Celia.” Next to Celia, Pebbles barked and wagged his tail. “And you too, Pebbles.” He barked again.

  “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Celia asked from the couch.

  “The roof is finally getting fixed,” Zoe said. “And I’m going to finish up the plans for the kitchen so they can get started on the remodel next Monday. We’ll move the microwave and coffee pot in here and set up a hot plate so you can still cook. If you need an oven, feel free to use mine in my cottage.”

  Celia nodded. “I don’t use the oven much anymore, but you never know when you’ll want fresh-baked cookies.” She grinned. “Do you know how long the remodel will take?”

  “I’m hoping it will only take a week or two,” Zoe said. “It depends on whether they find substantial damage to the walls or need to replace any of the floorboards.”

  “Sounds about right.” Celia looked at her surroundings. “Do you know when you’ll do the living room?”

  Zoe consulted her plans. “After the kitchen is done. I don’t want to spread anyone too thin, and we didn’t want to make things more difficult for you than they have to be.”

  After Celia’s accident a couple of months ago, she’d been living in a rehabilitation center for a while. During that time, Zoe and Shawn had remodeled her bedroom so that part of the renovation would be complete before she moved back in.

  “Thanks,” Celia said. “It’s a little rough living in a construction zone, but I appreciate everything you’ve done with the place.” She shook her head. “I never could have managed any of this, let alone afforded it.”

  “Well, we’re glad to see the Inn getting prettied up too.” Zoe nodded to the kitchen. “Anyway, I’d better get going. Maybe we can take a coffee break together later.”

  “That would be great.” Celia beamed at her while petting Pebbles. “See you later.”

  Zoe walked down the hallway to the kitchen, stopping in front of the entry to take it all in with a critical eye. A new sink would be installed in the same location under the window, but almost everything else in the kitchen would be moved. She and Meg had decided on a cheery color scheme in blue and white that would evoke thoughts of the bay outside, and the floors would be laid with durable, water-resistant vinyl plank that closely resembled real hardwood.

  She was making a few notes to the kitchen contractor about how to arrange the backsplash tiles when she caught a glimpse of the round clock on the wall. Time had flown by. It was almost eleven, and she hadn’t yet heard from the roofers. She went to the front door and checked the driveway, but it was empty. She returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table to dial the roofing company’s office.

  “Ralph’s Roofing,” a cheerful female voice sang out.

  “Yes, hi. I’m calling from the Inn at Willa Bay. We were supposed to have our roof replacement started today, but nobody has arrived yet.” She tapped her pen against her notebook.

  “Hmm. Let me check and see what’s going on.” The woman was silent for about a minute, then came back on the line. “It looks like they’re running way behind on their other job. It’s one of those big apartment complexes they’re building in Everett.”

  “Okay …” Zoe said slowly. “So, what does that mean for us?”

  “I’m so sorry, but it looks like we’ll need to reschedule you.”

  A pit formed in Zoe’s stomach. “Reschedule to when?”

  “Hmm. Does late August work?” the woman asked. “We shouldn’t get too much rain this summer anyway.”

  “Late August?” Her plans hinged on getting the roof done this week. It was taking all Zoe had to not scream at the woman, but she kept her tone professional. “That’s not going to work for us. We’re supposed to open the Inn to the public in late August.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. That’s the best I can do.” The woman didn’t sound terribly sorry.

  They may just be a random client to the roofing company, but this was critical to Zoe. “There’s nothing you can do to get us in sooner?”

  “We can see if there’s a cancellation, but other than that, no.” The woman paused, then asked, “Did you want me to book you into the late August slot?”

  Zoe gritted her teeth. “Sure.”

  “Fantastic.” The woman’s voice was about one hundred times more upbeat than Zoe felt. “We’ll call you in August to let you know when we’ll be there.”

  Zoe hung up the phone, not knowing if she should have told the woman off, or have been grateful that they were at least on the roofing company’s calendar.

  “Hey, I was thinking about grabbing some lunch,” Shawn said as he walked into the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not
really.” Her numbness was turning to anger. “The roofing company isn’t coming.”

  “What?” He came over to the table and sat down. “Why’d they cancel?”

  She shrugged. “Something about a big job running over.”

  “Oh, no.” He frowned. “One of the older online reviews of their company said something about them being flakey, but the more recent reviews were positive. I thought maybe it was just a case of bad management a few years ago.”

  “You hired them knowing they could be flakey?” The pitch to her voice rose. “We needed them to be here this week.”

  Contrition filled Shawn’s face. “I thought it would be okay. I’m sorry, Zoe. I’ll start calling other companies.”

  Zoe’s cheeks grew hot with anger. “Yeah. And this time, make sure they’re reliable.” She got up from the table and stalked out of the room. Behind her, Shawn sighed, but she didn’t stop until she was outside, descending the stairs to the beach.

  The railing beneath her hand was smooth, and the stairs were new and stable. They were one of the first things at the Inn that Shawn had taken care of when he’d come to Willa Bay. He was always trying to make things better for her and Celia, and she knew she shouldn’t have blown up at him. It hadn’t been his fault, but in the heat of the moment, he’d been an easy target.

  The beach stretched out in front of her, and her breathing evened out as the waves and soft ground underneath her sneakers eased her stress. She wouldn’t go so far as to say that her cares were washed away, but a walk on the beach always made things seem better. She strolled along the pebbled sand for fifteen minutes before turning around to return to the Inn – and to apologize to Shawn for her outburst.

  3

  Meg

  Meg Briggs rubbed her eyes, willing the blurry order form to come into focus on the computer screen in her boss’s office. She had to get this right because last week she’d made an error on the meat delivery and they’d ended up with an overstock of chicken breasts. They’d frozen the chicken, but if there was an issue this time, the vegetables would be a lot harder to preserve for later.